


Alleviation

by Rivulet027



Series: Alleviation [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Awesome Clint Barton, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Clint Barton's Farm, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Healing, M/M, Past Brainwashing, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sam Wilson Feels, Sam Wilson-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-27
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-06-17 05:34:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15454425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivulet027/pseuds/Rivulet027
Summary: Sam slowly builds a life as an Avenger with Bucky and Clint.





	Alleviation

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bluflamingo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluflamingo/gifts).



> Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Marvel. It's not my toy box and I'm merely playing.

There are things Sam tells himself he wants. So he does his best to build a home and a life for himself, one that doesn’t involve the moment he lost his fiance and he tries not to dwell on wanting his wings back. Then he gets slightly stalked and mocked on his morning run by a man who is supposed to be the paradigm of American virtue. Whoever wrote the history books clearly never met Steve. For a moment Sam can’t tell if Steve is trolling him, attempting to recruit him, or is just flirting. Judging by the smirk it’s a bit of flirting and good-natured teasing. Sam, for the first time, in a long time, realizes he wants to flirt back.

He ends up with his wings back and a room at Avenger's Tower on Steve’s floor. Steve has a whole floor, not that they’re there often since they’re working together to find Bucky. He and Steve settle into a close friendship, which doesn’t explain how Sam ends up making out with Hawkeye.

Sam’s willing to go with it though, especially when Clint makes a needy noise in the back of his throat before pulling him closer. Clint’s hands slide into the back pocket of his jeans and Sam grins into the kiss, until he feels Clint press a small hard object against him, then slip his hands out of Sam’s jeans. Sam reaches back into his pocket, but Clint grabs his wrists and pushes him back against the wall, deepening the kiss. Then Clint pulls back and mummers against his lips, “We need Rogers, but that information is time sensitive. He keeps moving.”

Sam knows he’s right. The Avengers need Steve on this next mission, they need Clint too. Sam leans against the wall, smirking slightly when Clint follows, stays pressed against him. “Did you kiss me so you could slip a flash drive in my pocket?”

“You looked like you needed one, opportunity to slip the drive in your pocket was just a bonus,” Clint tells him.

“Smooth Barton,” Sam teases. “That was almost smooth.”

“JARVIS won’t tell,” Clint reassures.

Sam laughs briefly, then pulls Clint back in.

Considering the way Clint’s been working with an Agent Woo since SHIELD fell Sam should anticipate how up to date the information is, how easy Bucky is to find. All it does it make Sam worry, Bucky shouldn’t be easy to find, especially not with Hydra still so strong and probably wanting him back. So instead of hanging back Sam makes sure Bucky knows he’s there, then sticks close and watches the other man’s back. He lets Bucky approach him. Bucky is tentative at first, joins him for a meal once a week, then slowly works up to eating together once a day. Eventually they start traveling together. Through it all Sam continues to flirt with Clint, mostly via text. This somehow involves a lot of pictures of Clint’s dog. Lucky’s adorable so Sam’s mostly willing to go with it. Sam also makes sure Bucky knows when he’s texting or calling Steve. He does his best to make sure Bucky knows he has options now.

Of course just when Sam starts to feel as if he and Bucky have a routine Sam’s nightmare come back, except it’s Steve falling, then Bucky. He watches Clint die and he’s helpless to stop any of it. Sam startles awake, breathing hard, but thankfully not screaming. He hasn’t woken up screaming in months. He manages to make it into the bathroom, turn on the shower, and stand under the spray before he starts crying.

Bucky follows, steps into the shower in only his boxers and pulls him close. Sam shudders. He doesn’t mean to cling, but Bucky just holds him and rubs his back. He tries to protest as Bucky turns the water warm and then strips him out of his wet clothes.

“You’ve helped me,” Bucky reminds voice low and reassuring.

By the time the tears stop and Sam’s starting to feel like he can focus again Bucky has him warm and wrapped in a towel, while using another to dry him off. Sam thinks about protesting, but he suddenly just doesn’t have the energy to protest. He lets Bucky get him in dry boxers and tuck him into bed.

“You okay?” Bucky asks, tone full of concern.

Sam blinks at him slowly. He’s so tired. “I, yeah. Thanks.”

Bucky nods, then disappears into the bathroom. He comes back in a few moments later, dried off and in fresh sleep pants. Sam isn’t sure what to do with the relief that washes over him when Bucky gets into the same bed as him.

Is it okay to share a bed with one Avenger while flirting with another? Sam isn’t sure. He and Bucky still get a room with two beds, they both want their own space sometimes, but inevitably Bucky will join him or hold his hand. Sam’s still text flirting with Clint.

Bucky starts tentatively talking to Steve. Clint offers to host them at his farm.

“I think they’d like each other,” Steve offers the next time they talk.

Feeling like his worlds are about to collide Sam asked Bucky to text Clint while making sure Clint knows Bucky would have to be comfortable if they were to come visit. Bucky and Clint are almost instantly friends and it’s not long before Bucky wants to visit Clint. Sam wants to be still, he knows that much, he’s just not sure what to do about wanting both Bucky and Clint.

Clint greets them warmly. Bucky even accepts a hug when Clint offers. When the two part Clint smiles. “I only have the one extra bed right now, but one of you could take the guest room and one of you can have my room, the couch is comfortable and Lucky won’t mind.”

Bucky shifts away from Clint, his shoulder brushing into Sam. He suddenly just very still. Sam leans into him and sooths, “We can still share if you want.”

Clint brightens and it’s so wrong in the context, but there’s nothing about the smile on Clint’s face that seems false. For a moment Sam wonders if he’s imagined the flirting. Haven’t they been flirting for months? Bucky relaxes next to him, taking Clint’s happiness that he won’t have to give up his bed for them at face value.

Later that night, while Bucky is outside playing with Lucky Clint shows Sam his other two empty rooms. “I’m think, if Bucky agrees, that the room you two are staying in, we’ll turn into his room. It’d probably be good for him to have a room where he’s made all the decisions. If you want your own too I still have these spares, maybe this one because it’s bigger.”

For a moment Sam can’t speak. It’s too much.

Clint scratches the back of his head and toes the hardwood floor. “I mean it’s not tower levels of privacy, but it’s good to have your own space if you want it.”

“I really want to kiss you right now,” Sam manages. He’s been wanting to kiss Clint again for months, he hasn’t been wanting to stop at kissing for months.

“You two come as a pair now,” Clint shrugs. “I get it.”

“I don’t even know if he wants me because that’s what he actually wants or if we’re so close because of proximity,” Sam admits.

Clint laughs. “You’ve seen the way he looks at you right?”

They stare at each other and Sam is suddenly sure that if either one of them moves they’ll start kissing. He really wants to reach out and pull Clint close. Clint is staring at his lips.

“I make crap decisions Sam, just ask Nat,” Clint tells him.

Lucky comes bounding in, Bucky following languidly behind. The three of them decide to start fixing up this bedroom after they finish with the guest room Sam and Bucky are staying in. Sam finds he enjoys the routine of helping to fix Clint’s house. Fixing the bedroom is slow, Bucky makes decisions with care and Clint gets called out on Avenger's missions often.

It’s shortly after one of those missions that Sam wakes up to an empty bed. He quells down his brief panic, then gets up to search for Bucky. He finds him stretched out on the couch with Clint asleep half curled up on top of him. Bucky is running his hand through Clint’s messy hair. Dog Cops is playing in the background, but Bucky isn’t paying it any attention. He’s watching Clint sleep with a longing smile on his face. He greets Sam with the same smile. Sam smiles back briefly before he’s looking Clint up and down for any obvious signs of injury. He feels the tension in his shoulders ease when he doesn’t see any. After covering them both with a blanket Sam settles into a nearby recliner with his own blanket. Lucky joins him, cuddling up to his side with a sigh. The sound of Lucky snoring has him falling back asleep.

The next day Bucky catches him in the kitchen alone and says, “The room is for me. Is that why you won’t help pick anything?”

“Clint thinks we should fix the next bedroom up for me, so I can have my own space,” Sam reassures.

Bucky frowns. “Do you want your own space?”

“I don’t like sleeping alone.”

Bucky nods. “I don’t either.”

They find a sturdy secondhand bedroom set and paint it black, highlighting it in a silver that’s a bit brighter than the silver carpet. It looks good with the pale green walls. Bucky frowns at the empty walls and mentions them getting Steve to draw them something. Sam is relatively sure Steve is probably already drawing Bucky something or could be persuaded to easily enough. He uses the conversation to segue into how Bucky would feel about seeing Steve. The two talk on the phone every day, it’s about time they start seeing each other in person. Sam reassures Bucky they can make an extra therapy appointment if it gets to be too much for him.

Then the team needs him instead of Clint, the extra air support vital to taking out the latest Hydra base they’ve located. Both Bucky and Clint check in to see if he’s comfortable with them sharing a bed while he’s gone. Sam wishes suddenly they had a bigger bed the three of them can share, maybe they can get one when he gets back. Clint sends him pictures a picture of Bucky and Lucky taking a nap on the couch. Bucky sends him a picture of Clint practicing archery shirtless.

“What happened to his shirt?” Sam texts back.

“Thought you might enjoy the view,” Bucky teases.

Yeah, they’re going to need a bigger bed. Steve agrees, seems happy for them or maybe he’s just overjoyed that Bucky is ready for a visit. Still, Sam isn’t sure how to bring the possibly of the three of them up to Bucky, he’s not sure Bucky is ready for a relationship.

Then they’re relaxing on the patio together. Clint is inside with Lucky watching TV, but it’s raining lightly and Bucky is enjoying sitting on the patio with a cup of coffee. Sam uses Bucky's thigh as a pillow and opens his book. It's when he pauses to read a funny part out loud to Bucky, that Bucky leans in and kisses him. They kiss for several long moments. Sam ends up in Bucky’s lap, kissing down into his mouth. Bucky cups his face as they pull apart to look each other.

“I want both of you,” Bucky tells him. “You and Clint, if you want, if I can.”

It’s as much a declaration as it is a question. Sam agrees, he’s relatively sure Clint will agree too.

Clint brings up their relationship, which is tilting more firmly into a romantic relationship since that kiss, the next time they all sit down for a movie. Sam bites his lip to keep from smiling, he and Bucky were going to wait till after the movie to proposition Clint, but now they won’t have to. The three of them talk. Clint threads their fingers together and squeezes Sam’s hand when he kisses Bucky. Sam squeezes back, enjoying watching Clint and Bucky kiss for the first time. Clint pulls away, then presses another firm kiss to Bucky’s lips before he turns to Sam with a crooked grin. Sam closes the distance between them.


End file.
